


Let Me Lose Myself in You

by orphan_account



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Am I the only one who reads tags anyway, I shouldn't think smut though, I'm really just making this up as I go along, Multi, Niam - Freeform, Pancakes!, Please don't kill me in the face this is my first fan fiction ever, They're pretty interesting, This is a wholesome work right here, This is definitely not the way to write anything, but maybe some other things happen too, larry stylinson - Freeform, mostly Niall/Liam, no sirree, who knows really - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-28
Updated: 2015-02-02
Packaged: 2018-02-23 01:08:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2528396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Niall Horan is a college student living somewhere in Britain. In a coincidence NO ONE could have foreseen he bumps into a certain Liam Payne and astonishes him with his grace and beauty. Not really, he falls over. But Liam doesn't seem to hate him, so that's good. He even sits next to him in music, and the two become friends.</p><p>So this is a Niam college AU basically. Gosh, who knew summaries were so hard? Not me, that's for sure.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just a heads up, if you didn't read the tags, this is my first fanfic and I'd hugely appreciate any feedback on it, positive or negative.

The alarm pierced Niall Horan's dreams with an obnoxious beeping. He sat bolt upright and practically smashed his phone in an attempt to shut it up. It read 6:00. He groaned and lay back down, covering his face with his arms. It was too early for anything, let alone college. Why exactly he'd decided to take a course starting so early was beyond him.

 

Knowing he'd fall asleep if he procrastinated any longer, he rolled out of bed, landing on the floor and luckily was cushioned by the duvet that had fallen off his bed like he had. Grabbing the crumpled skinny jeans and slogan tee beside his bed he made his way to his tiny bathroom.

 

It was a pretty good apartment for a college kid, he thought. He'd worked his butt off when he was a teenager (well, he still was, but anyway) still living in Mullingar with his dad and Greg and had saved up enough to rent a small apartment near the university he was attending. It was better than a dorm room anyway.

 

He dropped his clothes in an unceremonious heap on the floor and stepped into the shower, closing the doors after him. He switched on the hot water and sighed happily as it ran over him, waking him up fully and easing any stiffness in his joints. He started to hum as he grabbed his favourite shampoo and worked it into his dyed-blond locks. The familiar scent put him in a good mood and he began to belt out the song he was humming as he washed the rest of himself. He rinsed his hair, finished off with a blast of cold water and leaped out of the shower like a gazelle. He finished the number on a powerful note with a pirouette. 

 

Unfortunately, the bathroom floor was slippery from his shower and he slipped, landing clumsily on his arse. He blushed, even though there was nobody to see him, and scrambled up, wrapping his towel around him.

 

His cheeks were still red as he pulled on his clothes and brushed his teeth. He glanced in the mirror and sighed, and started to try and make sense of his mussed, slightly damp hair. After a couple of minutes it reluctantly began to take the shape of his usual quiff. Niall grinned- nothing like a good hair day- and went back to his bedroom.

 

It was closer to 7 now- Louis was right, he did spend too much time in the shower. Not that he could talk.

 

Of course, it being September and being in a remarkably grey and drizzly part of the world, Niall grabbed a pair of sunglasses and shoved them in his bag. You never know when they'll come in handy. Making sure he had everything he needed and having decided to have breakfast in the cafe on campus, he put on his high-tops and set off for the joys of education.

 

Being so close to said campus, Niall could easily walk and it took him less than ten minutes. The sky was threatening rain and he hurried, not wanting his hair to be messed up. Not that he was vain or anything. Never. The first few drops were just beginning to fall as he opened the glass double doors of the stylish cafe. It was wonderfully warm in there, and there was a delicious smell of fresh coffee and muffins. 

Unfortunately, it was packed, and it took him ages to order. When he did, he scoured the room for a free table, finding one in the corner by the window. He set his Americano and blueberry muffin down on the table and watched the rain fall outside. It was almost hypnotic. He lost himself in his thoughts, accompanied by the soft pitter-patter of the rain, thinking about home.

 

He was startled out of his daze by a voice. "Mind if I sit here?"

 

Niall looked up and saw a tall boy with curly brown hair and green eyes looking down at him.

 

"Sure, feel free," he replied. The boy's wide lips curled into a impish grin as he slid into the chair opposite Niall.

 

"I'm Harry, by the way. Harry Styles," the green-eyed boy said.

 

"Niall," was what was offered in return. He was, after all, very busy with his delicious, rapidly cooling muffin.

 

"Well, Niall, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Harry said, making a start on his bagel. "What are you majoring in?" he asked between mouthfuls.

 

"Um, music. You?"

 

"English lit. I want to teach someday."

 

They were silent for a while, surrounded by the sound of relaxed chatter.

 

"So, uh, lovely weather we're having," Niall put forward after what seemed like an age. He then mentally kicked himself. Weather smalltalk? Really? Harry chuckled.

 

"I suppose it is." He checked his phone and looked disappointed. "I have to go now. Classes and all that. Seeya around?"

 

"Yeah, sure," Niall smiled. Actually, he should get a move on too.

 

"Wait, give me your phone for a sec." Not waiting for a response, Harry took it and typed something into it, then handed it back to it. "Seeya Nialler!" He bounced off, looking pleased with himself. Nialler? Niall picked up his bag and dumped the muffin wrapper in the bin, bringing his now-lukewarm coffee with him as he went to get his timetable. He really should have done it earlier. 

 

He made his way to the administration office and stood at the desk admiring the washed out lavender walls and potted plants until he was noticed. A kindly looking middle-aged woman came over to him.

 

"Yes, dear? Do you need anything?" she asked.

 

"Um, yes, my name is Niall Horan and I'm looking for my timetable."

 

"Hmm, Niall Horan, let me see...." She typed something into the computer and rummaged around in a filing cabinet for a bit. "Ah, yes, Niall James Horan? Here you go." She handed him a thick wad of paper with all his classes and teachers on it.

 

"Thank you very much," Niall said politely. The woman laughed.

 

"Oh my goodness, such manners! I wish they were all like that." Her eyes sparkled. "I wish you the best of luck."

 

"Thank you, ma'am," Niall smiled genuinely.

 

"None of that ma'am business now! I'm Julia and nothing else."

 

"Thank you, Julia. I'll be off then."

 

"Take care!"

 

Niall made his way to the east building, where his assembly hopefully was. Nose buried in his timetable, he wasn't looking where he was going and collided with something that felt like a brick wall, although he got a whiff of expensive cologne-did brick walls perchance wear cologne?- and was knocked over, landing painfully on his rear for the second time that day. He groaned and started to collect his things. He stopped and then looked up as a shadow crossed him. A tall muscular man with facial hair and tattoos was hulking over him. He had short brown hair and honey-coloured eyes. Niall's breath caught as he stared up at the figure. It would have been intimidating if the stranger hadn't been apologising profusely at a thousand words a minute.

 

"Ohmygosh, I'm so sorry, are you alright, I didn't see you, I wasn't looking where I was going, did I hurt you, I'm so sorry, are you ok?!" He looked so guilty, like a puppy that had been caught doing something wrong. Wait, a puppy?

 

"No, s'okay, I wasn't looking where I was going either," Niall muttered, accepting the hand up from the man. His hand was huge, engulfing Niall's delicate ones, and very warm. The man also picked up his books for him and handed them to him.

 

"Listen, I'm really sorry again, are you sure you're okay?" the stranger asked, concern written on his face. Before Niall could respond he was cut off by a shout.

 

"Oy, Li, c'mon, he's fine!" The voice came from another man, presumably the friend of the first guy, with raven-black hair and dark eyes. Again, tattoos and facial hair. Hmm.  
Li shot him an apologetic look. "I've got to go, but um, see you around, I s'pose?"

 

"Yeah, uh, ok, seeya." Niall gazed at the man's retreating figure as he jogged to catch up with the dark-haired one. What could Li stand for, he wondered. Leon? Leo? Liam? He tried not to blush as he remembered how Li had pulled him up effortlessly as if he weighed nothing, standing so close. He shook himself mentally and adjusted his bag, then set off for his classroom. It wouldn't do to be late on the first day, after all.

_______________

Assembly went by smoothly and uneventfully. There were a few mispronounciations of foreign students' names, but that was only to be expected. Thank God his parents hadn't called him Seamus or Tadhg or something. That would have been fun to read aloud if you weren't familiar with the language.

 

He had music next. It was always his favourite subject. Primary hardly counted, all you did was make tuneless screeching noises on bitten tin whistles. Secondary was great though, only people who were interested in the subject were there. There were so many facilities, and he could bring in his guitar if the lesson called for it. His teacher was great, it wasn't even like a class, it was that fun. He was bringing those expectations with him into this class.

 

He was one of the first to arrive, so he sat near the back by a window and put his head down on the desk after looking around the room. It was great, as rooms went. There were posters and instruments everywhere. He couldn't help eyeing the guitars sitting in the corner. The acoustics in here are probably great, he thought to himself as more people filed in. There were so many chairs scraping that he didn't notice the one next to him being occupied until he was tapped on the shoulder. He surfaced from the depths of his jumper and saw Li smiling at him.

 

"Hey there!" Li said happily. "I didn't think we'd have any classes together. Sorry about earlier, I'm Liam by the way, though I don't believe I got your name."

 

Liam. So that was it. "I'm Niall, and I'm really fine," he insisted.

 

"Well, I'm glad. So Niall, where are you from? I mean, I can tell you're from Ireland from the accent, but I'm not really good with specifics," Liam trailed off as he rested his head in his hands and looked intently at Niall, making him kind of nervous.

 

"Mullingar. It's in Westmeath. What about you?"

 

"Oh, I'm from Wolverhampton. But Mullingar, huh? Can't say I've been there. I've been to Dublin, like, but that's not really the same thing. So how did you end up here? Did your family move?"

 

"Oh, no, they're still in Mullingar. I saved up to come over here. I didn't just want to go to Trinity, like. I have me own apartment, I mean, it's great actually."

 

Liam frowned. "You're in another country by yourself? Aren't you ever lonely, though?"

 

Niall was somewhat taken aback, he hadn't expected him to say that. "Only a bit. I mean, isn't everyone sometimes? But we still Skype fairly often. Especially Greg. He's my older brother. Do you have brothers or sisters?"

 

Liam laughed. "Do I ever! I have two sisters, Nicola and Ruth. I was the only boy, so that was fun! I swear, teenage girls are a force to be reckoned with." Niall laughed too at that. He'd been to an all-boys school, so he hadn't had much experience with girls. He was just relaying this to Liam when the teacher strolled in like he wasn't even five minutes late.

 

"Hey there class, I'm Mr. Macken, but you needn't remember that as I'm sure you'll all just call me sir for the entire year. Before we begin, I'll have you all know that these are the seats you'll have for the year, so I'd advise learning the name of the person you're next to now." There were groans from around the classroom at this. Niall snuck a side glance at Liam, worried that he'd be disappointed, but he seemed pretty happy about the development.

 

"Moving on from that then. Rather than starting on the coursework which I haven't really brought with me, how about you all just tell me about what music is to you? You can draw a picture, write some lyrics, anything you want, as a nice way to ease into the year. I'm assuming you all have sheets and folders?" There was a collective affirmative and shuffling as everyone rooted around in their bags for supplies. "I have colouring pencils for those who need them."

 

Niall didn't even stop to think about what he was going to do. Music was his passion. He grew fully absorbed in his work. He wasn't particularly artistic, but he was slightly beyond stick figures so it wasn't that bad. He sketched the familiar curves of an acoustic guitar in the centre of the page, with stylized designs and notes emanating from it. Treble clefs were dotted around the page and he scrawled some of the lyrics from a song he had written in the corner, humming and tapping his feet to the number that was playing in his head, not even noticing the times that Liam looked over at him and smiled at his antics. After a good while, he set down his pencils with ink-stained hands and surveyed his work. He was pretty proud of it actually. There wasn't a blank spot on the page. He felt breath on his neck and jumped as he realised that Liam was leaning over, craning his neck to see.

 

"Can I have a look?" Niall nodded mutely and handed him the page, amused by the expressions that crossed his face as he looked at it. "This is really good. Do you play?" Niall nodded again. He then glanced at the lyrics in the corner. "I don't recognise these. Are they from some obscure Irish band?" he joked.

 

"Uh, no..." Niall felt his face heat up, wishing he hadn't given the page to Liam. He hated people reading his lyrics.

 

"Did you write these? They're really poetic. I like them." Niall felt his face get redder. "I'd like to hear some of your songs sometime."

 

"Can I see yours?" Niall asked to deflect the attention off his. Liam seemed to understand and handed him his.

 

"I warn you though, although my love for music is boundless, my artistic abilities are somewhat limited." Niall examined the page and tried to bite back a snort. It was pretty bad.

 

"It's, uh... unusual... and interesting... like, modern art or something?" Niall looked up to see that Liam too was suppressing giggles as he looked at him.

 

"Oh, shut up, we both know it's terrible." Liam finally let the laughter out, a big belly laugh that was lovely to listen to, and Niall joined in.

 

"You're right, it is pretty rubbish." They continued to laugh loudly until it faded to the occassional giggle. It was great, he thought, that he could have such familiarity with Liam despite having met him that day.

 

"I hate to interrupt you all, when you're clearly having so much fun-" Mr Macken sent a pointed, amused look at Liam and Niall, "- but we're just about out of time, so if you could finish up and pack away, that would be just wonderful. You can finish them the next day if you haven't already."

 

Niall reluctantly put away his things and, as the bell went, he looked over at Liam, who flashed him a grin. 

 

He wondered when he had music again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Mic for commenting on chapter 1! I apologise in advance for this one being so short, but it just didn't feel like being longer. I'm sure that's a legitimate reason. Also, I think I'll put some Larry in this, because why not? Please enjoy, and 3 will be up soon.

"So how was day 1 in the institution?" Louis' voice came over the phone. "Regretting the decision yet?" Niall couldn't help laughing. Louis, for some unfathomable reason, attended a different university despite living relatively close to the one Niall attended, and felt all high and mighty about having been attending it longer than Niall due to him being a couple of years older.

"No, it's good enough. I don't hate it anyway. Music's great. The teacher seems nice, class is fun. The guy I'm sitting next to is pretty nice as well. And funny."

"Ooh, do I spot a potential suitor in the wings? Do tell. Is he good-looking?" Niall could practically hear Louis smirking.

Louis had always been completely comfortable with Niall's sexuality. He'd lost some friends when he came out, but Louis had stuck by him through thick and thin, defending him against others, sometimes physically when Niall got beaten up, and Niall was eternally grateful for him. He'd always said, "Well, more girls to fall in love with me then!", but sometimes Niall had his doubts about which way Louis swung.

"No," Niall groaned. "Wait, I mean yes, he's good-looking. Very much so. But he'd never be into me. But, I mean, I'm not into him. He's just attractive is all. I only met him today anyway." He knew he was rambling so shut up quickly.

"If you insist, then. Listen, I'd better go. Places to go, gotta follow my rainbow and all that. Wanna have lunch tomorrow?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Ok, usual place then? I'll text you anyway. You can tell me more about Mr. Handsome in person. And bring a picture. Bye-bye Niall!"

"Wait, Louis-" Niall started to protest but he'd already hung up. He sighed. What was he going to do with that boy? Insisting that he liked Liam when they both knew nothing about him. Honestly. He glanced at the time. 10:38. He'd better get ready for bed, early start unfortunately. And why was it only Monday? He'd need to find someone to complain to. Then again, he might see Harry tomorrow. And Liam. Wait, speaking of Harry...

Niall pulled out his phone and checked his contacts, scrolling until he came across a new one. Curly Haired Love God. Laughing and groaning at the same time, he called the number.

"Hello?"

"I'm assuming this is Harry." There was a laugh from the other end.

"How did you guess? Well, now I have your number too!"

"Use it how you will. It should not be taken lightly."

"Weirdo."

"Says the Curly Haired Love God."

"Touché. Hey, breakfast tomorrow, same time, same place? To strengthen our manly bond."

"Oh, I don't know. I'll have to check my schedule. Pretty busy on Tuesday mornings at ungodly hours."

"Great! I'll see you there then. Sleep well, Nialler."

"You too, Haz." There was a snicker as the line went dead. Niall felt very popular- two meal plans in one day? He might have to go lie down. Which would probably be a very good idea considering how early he was getting up. A sudden wave of exhaustion hit him as he got ready for bed and crawled between the covers. The last thing he thought about before falling deeply asleep was Liam's eyes.

______________

"So Niall, tell me about yourself," Harry said as he buttered his second bagel. It was luckily not raining today and the two had been sitting in the cafe for half an hour chatting.

"There's not much to tell really. Born and raised in Mullingar. Me mam and dad split up when I was... 5 I think. I ended up living with my dad with my older brother Greg. Moved here to attend university. And yourself?

"I grew up in Holmes Chapel, but I was born in Redditch. I have an older sister called Gemma. My parents divorced too, when I was 7. My mum got married again though."

"Cool. Ugh, we should probably head to class soon," Niall said after checking the time.

"Unfortunately, I'd say that's a good idea. How about we catch up at lunch?"

"I'm sorry, I can't do lunch. I already made plans with a friend," Niall said regretfully. Then he had an idea. "I know, why don't you come with me? Louis is always nagging to meet some of my other friends." Harry looked kind of anxious. "He's really nice, I promise. I'll text him."

_**To Louis: Hey, can I bring a friend to lunch? Please?**_  
A minute later:

_**From Louis: Ugh, fine, but he'd better be cute. For your sake.** _

_**To Louis: Thnx, you're the best! :)** _

Niall looked up and grinned. "He's fine with you coming." Harry smiled back, looking relieved. "Just meet me here at 12 and we'll go together."

"'k. See you then," Harry said as he picked up his bag and coffee.

"See ya. 12, don't forget!"

"I won't, I won't!" Harry sounded exasperated and even though he couldn't see, Niall bet he was rolling his eyes.

_______________

Lunch went really well. Harry and Louis hit it off instantly and Niall didn't even have to be the awkward middle ground. They'd been chatting a mile a minute and barely eaten. Niall almost felt like a third wheel. Louis had insisted on walking them back to the campus, and they kept a leisurely pace as they had a heated discussion about football.

They stopped just outside the gates of Niall and Harry's university.

"Well, I guess this is our stop," Harry smiled at Louis.

"It was really great meeting you, Harry," Louis beamed back brightly.

"Oh, did you notice that I was there too?" Niall asked, pretending to be irritated.

"Oh, were you? Sorry, I couldn't tell. Did you know, Harry?"

Niall hid a smile and let out a loud sigh, then turned and began to walk away. Just before he got in the gates, he heard a loud cry of "PIGGY BACK!" and felt a weight crash into his back, knocking him off balance.

"WAH!!" Niall cried as his breath was knocked out of him when he collided with the ground, Louis on top of him practically crushing him. Then he heard one of the worst things imaginable.

"Niall? What are you doing on the ground?" He hesitantly looked up and confirmed his fears. Liam was standing above him looking like he was barely containing laughter with his dark-haired friend standing beside him. Was this the only way he could meet him? He flushed tomato-red.

"Um... listening for buffalo?" he muttered sheepishly. Harry and the dark-haired one were roaring with laughter, and Louis and Liam joined in after Louis clambered up, looking remarkably pleased with himself. Niall scrambled up too, almost tripping over again in his haste.

"Niall, care to introduce me to your friend?" Louis said. still smirking.

"Oh, I'm Liam. I sit next to Niall in music," Liam helpfully piped up. Louis looked like a cat who had trapped a mouse in a corner, about to pounce.

" _Oh?_ This is the famous Liam, then, that I've been told so much about?" Louis asked in an exaggerated manner. Liam looked bemused, while Niall sent Louis a look that hopefully said " _Shut up now before I disembowel you_."

"Well, Louis, I guess we'll be seeing you then," Niall said loudly and pointedly.

"Really? Because I don't have to leave for a while yet."

"Yes. Yes you do." He took the hint, or rather saw Niall's expression, and sighed, turning to face the other boys.

"Well, lads, I have to go now. It was nice to meet you, Liam. You're just like Niall said-" Niall would have to murder him later "- and Harry, I'll text you later." Wait, when had they exchanged phone numbers?

"Goodbye, then." Liam looked even more confused.

"Bye, Louis!" Harry said enthusiastically. Niall glared at the back of Louis' head as he left, then turned to face Liam.

"I actually haven't told him anything about you." After a couple of seconds he realised how rude that sounded and frantically tried to save the conversation. "I mean, no, that's not what I meant. I meant, I said I was sitting next to someone in music, but that's all, really. Uh, yeah."

"Jeez, Niall, will you calm your tits?" Liam grinned. Niall blushed again.

"Sorry..."

"Don't be apologising! Anyway, Zayn and I have to go. See you in music?" Niall brightened considerably.

"Ok! Bye, Liam! Oh, and Zayn too!"

"Seeya, Niall," Zayn smiled. Maybe he wasn't so intimidating.

Niall kind of stared after them for a while until there was a cough, and then he remembered that Harry was still there. He jumped and turned to face him. Harry waggled his eyebrows and made kissing noises. Niall scoffed.

"Like you can talk, Mrs. Tomlinson." Harry flushed a deep red, but didn't deny it. "Oh? Is there truth to my words?"

"Do you think it's weird?" Harry asked desperately. Niall was taken aback.

"What? Of course not! Why would it be?"

"Well, he's a guy, and I'm a guy... It's just, he's pretty nice, and cute."

"Wait, are we still talking about Louis?" Harry punched him lightly, then became serious again.

"Do you know if he... well, if he's..."

"Gay?" Harry nodded, looking embarrassed. "Well, he hasn't come out, to me anyway." Harry looked crestfallen. "But! There's a but! He seemed to really like you, and in the time that I've known him, he hasn't had a serious relationship with a girl once." A bell rang, signalling that they should get their butts in gear.

"Think on it, okay?" Niall asked as he turned to leave. Harry smiled.

"You bet I will."

______________

"Alright, quiet down a moment!" Mr Macken said loudly from the top of the class. "Since we did what is referred to in the common tongue as 'Feck all' in our first class, we're going to knuckle down now, noses to the grindstone. Now, I've decided you're going to do a project on the Baroque era, and it's going to be worth 60% of your grade." There was a gasp from around the room. "Your partner will be the person you're sitting next to, and you'll have some classes to research, but I expect most of the work to be done outside of class. I'll give you the rest of this class to discuss amongst yourselves. About the project, mind you." There was a sudden buzz of chatter. Liam turned to Niall.

"So, partner, how much about the Baroque era do you remember from secondary?" he asked, grinning.

"In the common tongue, feck all," Niall grinned back.

"Great, me too. I guess we'd better get to work on that. Do you have plans after this?" Niall's heart leaped in his throat.

"N-no."

"Do you want to come over to my place to make a start on it?" Niall temporarily forgot how to breathe as Liam looked at him earnestly, brown eyes so innocent. He must have looked like he was about to have a seizure, so Liam immediately, and in character, started to apologise. "You don't have to if you don't want to. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." He looked really guilty, and that made Niall feel guilty too.

"No, I'd love to actually!" Niall said hurriedly, voice squeaky. Liam broke into a smile, and it was like the sun just came out from behind the clouds, warming everything it touched.

"It's a date."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hee hee. I lied when I said 3 would be up soon.

"Sorry, the place is a bit of a tip. I didn't realise that I'd have company this morning," Liam said as he struggled to find his keys.

"It's grand, my place is in a perpetual state of messiness. Here, let me hold that." Niall took his bag. Liam nodded his thanks and rooted around for the keys with both hands. His head was so close to Niall's that he could smell his shampoo. It was nice. Probably really expensive. Without realising Niall inhaled deeply.

"Found 'em!" Liam said loudly and triumphantly. Niall started, feeling as if he'd been caught doing something wrong, and blushed as Liam unlocked the door.

Liam had brought Niall to his apartment, which, incidentally, was in a pretty posh building, to work on their project. Liam had attempted to make small talk in the car, but Niall was so nervous that he had just given mediocre one-word answers until Liam gave up.

"Here we are, welcome to my humble abode," Liam stated theatrically as they entered the flat. _Humble my arse_ , thought Niall as he looked around the place. The rent must have been at least 5 times as much as Niall's. It was tastefully decorated, very modern, and had soft, soft carpets that Niall wanted to roll around in. Not that he was going to. Well, maybe he might if Liam had to go to the loo.

"It's gorgeous," Niall breathed as he went to stand by the window that took up an entire wall in the living room. It was a penthouse, and was so high up that you could practically see the entire city. He imagined that it would be beautiful when it was dark, and you could see the lights twinkling from other buildings.

"Yeah, I like it too," Liam smiled from beside him, proud at his awestruck expression. Leaving Niall at the window, he went to the kitchen.

"Hey, can I get you anything to eat or drink?" he called.

"Oh, um, just water please. Thank you."

Liam came back with two tall glasses of coke with ice. "You don't have to be so polite. It's just me, your friend Liam. Anyway, I assumed by water you meant coke. You do like coke, don't you?" And there he was again, the worried, apologetic Liam. It was kind of cute how easily he got flustered.

"Coke is great, thanks." Niall took the glass, then kind of hovered uncertainly. Liam rolled his eyes.

"You can sit on the couch if you want."

"Ok," Niall said in a small voice. He wasn't sure whether he was more worried about spilling the coke on the pale cream carpet or on the expensive looking leather couch. How on earth could a college student afford this?

He sipped away quietly, eyes wandering around the room until they stopped on something that melted away any shyness he had.

"You play guitar too?" he asked, surprised, as he eyed the acoustic guitar lying in the corner of the room.

"Hmm? Oh yeah, but really badly!" Liam laughed. Seeing how intently Niall was looking at it, he asked "Do you want to play it?" Niall was torn between how he thought it would be rude to and the fact that he hadn't played a guitar since he was still in Ireland- he couldn't afford to pay the extra baggage charge on the plane, and he was worried that it would be damaged anyway, so it was as well that he'd left it at home.

"M-may I?" he asked hesitantly, desire to at least touch one again winning out.

"Of course, I wouldn't have offered otherwise." Liam set his drink down on a coaster and went to bring over the guitar. Niall looked at it reverently, then held out his hands to take it. It was reassuring and familiar, even though he had never held this one before. He played a couple of chords first, then, once he'd gotten the feel for it again, began to play Viva La Vida on the guitar. He was going to stop once he'd finished the intro, but was surprised when Liam began to sing. The shock made him keep playing, and he listened to Liam's voice. It was beautiful, undescribable. Like an angel. Niall joined in a bit at the chorus, but let Liam take the spotlight. How could he not? He decided he could listen to Liam sing forever.

It was over all too soon though, but the magic still remained.

"You... You've got a beautiful voice," Niall said shakily. Words couldn't do it justice.

"Thank you!" Liam smiled bashfully. "You have too. And you're really good at playing the guitar."

It seemed all Niall could do around Liam was blush. You could probably cook something on his face at this point, it was that warm.

"Hey..." Liam began. "Can I ask you a favour?"

"'Course. You let me play your guitar."

"Can I hear one of your songs?" Niall froze and after a few moments met Liam's eyes.

"They're no good. I usually only write to vent whatever emotion I'm feeling at the time."

"Okay... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked." He smiled, but his eyes were disappointed. Niall didn't realise that he would care. And Liam had sung in front of him. And let him play his guitar. He sighed and braced himself, sure he was about to regret this.

"Okay." Liam looked up, evidently surprised. "I'll play one of my songs for you."

"Really?"

"Yeah. This one is called _Never Reach You_."

He closed his eyes and started strumming on the guitar. Heart in his throat, he began to sing.

" _The stars in the sky above_  
 _Don't shine as brightly as you_  
 _I wish I could tell you how I feel,_  
 _But you're gone far, far away_  
 _Somewhere I can never reach you_."

He continued to sing quietly, yet still filling up the open room with his voice. He only dared open his eyes at the very end, finishing the song on a soft chord. He found Liam staring at him in awe. Niall ducked his head in an attempt to hide from his intense gaze.

"That's um... well, that's-" Liam stuttered.

"Crap?" Niall put in helpfully.

"I was going to say amazing actually. Amazing. Where do you find inspiration for these?

"Well, anywhere really. From things that have happened to me, from things that have happened to other people. I usually bring around a notebook to write down an idea if I come up with one, before I forget." He procured a green notebook from his shirt pocket and waggled it around.

They sat for a while, not saying anything, Niall occassionally playing something silly on the guitar. Eventually Liam got up to switch on a lamp. Niall looked out the window, surprised. It was getting dark quickly. He was right, it really was beautiful at night.

"It's getting pretty late," Liam mused.

"Yeah... I should probably go soon."

"No, wait, stay a bit. Screw the project, we'll do it another time. I'll make some hot chocolate. I trust you won't object?" Niall shook his head eagerly.

Liam went to the kitchen and began to heat some milk on the stainless steel cooker, Niall in tow. The kitchen was... shiny. If there was one word to describe it, it would be shiny. There were sparkling granite-topped counters and shiny tiles and a shiny fridge. So yeah, shiny.

"'Fraid I only have the powder stuff at the moment, but what I do happen to have is marshmallows. And cream. And Flakes." Niall went weak at the knees at the sound of that. It had been too long since he'd had proper, cholestrol inducing hot chocolate. Any length of time without it was too long.

Liam switched on the radio and began to cooking-dance to some Beyoncé song that was on, which was basically just shaking your hips and head due to not having any free arms, singing along under his breath. Niall watched his performance critically. Then decided.

"Payne, after we have consumed this delicious beverage, I challenge you to a dance-off."

"Excuse me?" Liam turned to face him sassily, hand on hip. "Do you know who I am? I am famous worldwide for my awesome moves."

"If you're so confident, then bring it. There's no way you can win though."

"Oh, you're so _on_ , Horan. But yes, after we have consumed this delicious beverage." Liam stirred in the powder, poured it into two cups and threw in marshmallows. He then squirted on some cream and crumbled up a Flake on top.

"Here you go." Liam handed him a mug of deliciousness, and watched his expression as he took a sip. Niall let out a moan, it was so delicious. The marshmallows were melting, and getting all over his upper lip, which made Liam giggle.

"What?!" Niall demanded, after having gotten some on his nose.

"Oh, nothing," Liam smiled, not wanting him to find out and end his fun, and took a sip of his own. As it turned out, Niall did not find out that he had melted marshmallows on his face even after they had finished the hot chocolate, and went into the sitting room for the epic dance-off.

"I will admit, although you are my adversary, you make really good hot chocolate," Niall said while warming up as Liam put the cd in the cd player.

"Why thank you." Liam straightened up and stretched, then faced Niall and stuck his hand out. "May the best man win?"

Niall took Liam's hand and shook it. "Of course."

Some song began to play, with a slow tempo, and Liam closed his eyes and started to shake his hips. _Hmph_ , Niall thought, and began to do the same. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to use that.

"I'll have you know that I have been cheered on in so many bars for my drunk table-dancing," Niall said as he spun around and rolled his head.

"Good to know," Liam said, and they continued until the song ended.

"I think the winner is undecided. Next song?" Niall asked.

"I was thinking the same myself." The new song began to blare out of the speakers. Niall grinned. This was his kind of song. He began to bounce around energetically. Liam looked surprised at his sudden change in style, but shrugged it off and got into the dancing. The chorus drew around and Niall unleashed his piece de resistance.

"I call this the Horan Leg Hop!" He leaped and did a splits mid-air. Liam stopped momentarily and looked both impressed and worried. Niall grinned. Practising in front of the mirror for ages had paid off. But he shouldn't have gotten cocky, as Liam threw himself into things with renewed force, moving faster than should be humanly possible.

_Could it be... that he might almost be a worthy rival for me?_ Niall montaged only half-jokingly. _No, that's impossible. I still haven't done that_. Niall began to cackle. Liam looked over.

"What is it?"

"Oh, Liam. I didn't want to have to do this. I really didn't. But you made me. You brought this upon yourself," Niall said darkly.

"Sorry?"

"I'll have you know, that amongst my many others, I have a secret, hidden talent that few will ever get to behold. I am... skilled in the art of dad-dancing." Liam groaned.

"You have got to be kidding me!"

Oh, but Niall wasn't. He was deadly serious, as he began to jauntily move his limbs.

"Oh, it hurts!" Niall smiled as he continued. Finally Liam broke down.

"Fine! Fine, you win! I bow down before the master." And so he did. Niall smiled. Of course he knew he was going to win.

"Perhaps I should go melt some more marshmallows to copy his style as well." Liam grinned mischievously up at him.

"What?" Slowly, Niall lifted his hand and felt his upper lip and finally found the marshmallows that had taken up residence there. He flushed beet-red.

"And on your nose too." Niall started to scrub it off, embarrassed.

"No, leave it, it's cute!" Liam laughed.

The sugar and dance high began to wear off and Niall collapsed onto the ground beside Liam.

"These carpets are so soft," he said absentmindedly, running his fingers through it. Liam chuckled at how sleepy the boy sounded.

"Tired?" he asked.

"No, not at-" Niall betrayed himself with a huge yawn. "What time is it anyway?"

"It's almost 11." Niall's eyes widened. He'd been here hours.

"Oh, God, I should probably get home, it's really late." He yawned again.

"Ni, you're in no state to be going home. You'd probably get lost in your building." Niall didn't say anything, as it was probably true. "Listen, why don't you stay here for the night? I've got a spare guest room, and you can borrow some of my clothes."

"I couldn't, you've been too good to me tonight, I'll get a bus home or something," Niall rambled, somewhat surprised at how generous the boy he'd only met a few days ago was being.

"The last bus has already left, the next one is at 8 in the morning. Go on, Niall, it's really ok."

He hesitated, knowing there'd probably be no way for him to reciprocate his kindness due to his financial status, then, throwing caution to the winds, said, "Ok then, I'd love to stay." Liam grinned happily, although for the life of him Niall couldn't figure out why.

"Great! I'll just show you where everything is." Seemingly without thinking, Liam grabbed his wrist and towed him along behind him as he led them to a new hall.

"Ok, so the far door down here is the bathroom." They went in, and Liam showed him how to use the shower, which, incidentally, was huge and had all sorts of fancy gizmos. "And I have a spare toothbrush here, because honestly it would be pretty strange if you had brought yours with you. Bathroom tour finished, this door connects to my room, so don't get them confused." He brought them out of the bathroom through the door they came, switching off the lights. "And feel free to come on in if you need anything. Now, your room is down _here_. Lightswitch is here, plugs over there, though no en suite for you, I'm afraid. You can dump your bag anywhere, and come with me to get some clothes." Niall set his bag down on a chair and followed Liam to his room.

Liam rooted around in his drawers and pulled out a hoodie, a t-shirt and some tracksuit bottoms, which he then threw at Niall, who fumbled a bit and almost dropped them. The hoodie was about ten sizes too big for him, by looking at it, but it felt really soft and comfy. And smelled nice. All fresh and warm.

Niall let out another yawn, against his will, which had Liam looking over at him. "Ok, we're done with the tour, get to bed before you fall asleep on my floor."

"Ok.... Thanks, Liam," Niall mumbled sleepily, rubbing his eyes like a child. He slowly shuffled back to the guest room and closed the door behind him. Uncrumpling the clothes from the ball he'd put them in, he held the tracksuits against his legs. They were way too long. But in a nice way. Trying not to fall asleep standing, he pulled on the oversized clothes and dumped his on a chair without folding them. Then, barely any energy left at this stage, he crawled onto the bed- he barely noticed how huge it was- and pulled the covers over himself. He didn't have time to process anything that had happened that night because he fell asleep before his head even hit the pillow.

He was so deeply asleep that he didn't even notice when Liam came in to check on him and smiled when he saw Niall snuggled up between the covers, hair mussed up and innocent sleeping face, breathing deep and even.

 

 

Niall woke early, and was confused about where he was for a couple of seconds. Why was he in such a huge soft bed? Why was he wearing clothes far too big for him? And why did said clothes smell like Liam? Then he remembered and blushed for no reason. Ignoring the heat in his cheeks, he pulled out his phone and checked the time. 5:42. Huh. He had no idea why he woke up so early. Usually, if it was up to him, he wouldn't surface until well after 11.

Knowing he wouldn't go back to sleep, he got out of bed and almost tripped over the oversized trackies. Luckily, he righted himself before he fell and woke Liam up by breaking all his furniture. Liam said it would be ok if he had a shower, right? To be honest, he felt kind of gross after the epic dance off. And his own clothes were a bit dirty too. Blech. It would be awkward to ask Liam for more, and downright rude.

As quietly as he could, Niall crept over to the door and opened it. Surprisingly, outside the door on the ground was a neatly folded pile of clothes. He smiled when he saw them and bent over to pick them up, then made his way to the bathroom in the dark, stubbing his toe once and tearing up slightly.

The warm water felt wonderful as it washed away any grime left over from yesterday. Curious, Niall looked at the label on the shampoo bottle. It was full of fancy ingredients that he previously hadn't known existed. Well, it must take something special to maintain hair that great. Maybe he should stay at Liam's place more often, his hair at least would benefit.

Niall had just finished pulling the clean shirt over his head when he heard a door opening. Freezing, he looked over and saw Liam looking back at him, just as surprised. Shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, why had he forgotten to lock the door connecting to Liam's room? He'd remembered to lock the other one. At least he was fully clothed. Liam, however, was only wearing a pair of tracksuit bottoms, which exposed his torso. Unable to stop himself, Niall's eyes wandered over Liam's tanned skin, admiring his defined muscles. Then his eyes snapped back to Liam's face and he flushed, possibly the deepest yet.

"Uh, oh, gosh, I'm so sorry, I should have locked it, I'm sorry," Niall stuttered, gathering his clothes up off the floor and almost tripping in his haste, then tried the handle of the door Liam hadn't come through several times before realising he had to unlock it first. Without giving Liam time to say anything, he disappeared out the door and back to the guest room.

Dropping his clothes by the door, he flopped face-first down on the bed and groaned into the covers. Stupid, stupid. Why did he have to blatantly check Liam out, too? Even though he did really have great abs. _He's gonna hate me now and throw me out,_ Niall thought miserably. Maybe he could just stay here in the guest room forever and no one would notice.

Niall only came out when he felt that it absolutely under no circumstances would be acceptable to stay in the room for any longer and the blush on his face had faded to the point where it would barely be noticeable. The smell of pancakes hit him as soon as he opened the door. Confused, he followed his nose until he reached the kitchen.

Liam was cooking pancakes and humming along to some song that Niall didn't know. There was an array of toppings on the counter and some orange juice in two glasses. Liam turned when he heard his footsteps and smiled widely.

"Good morning! Did you sleep well? Oh, God, those clothes are still way too big for you! They were the smallest ones I had though."

"G-good morning. No, the clothes are fine, actually, I like them." Why wasn't Liam annoyed with him? Why wasn't he even addressing the awkward incident? Why was he making him breakfast?!

"That's good. Hey, can you pass me those plates?" Niall handed him two plates and Liam put two pancakes on each. He set them down on the counter beside each other with the orange juice.

"Bon appetit, Niall." When Niall looked at him blankly, he sighed playfully and guided him over to the stool and forcefully sat him down. "Take whatever topping you want, there's sugar, lemon, Nutella, sprinkles, etc, etc." Liam sat down beside him and reached over to get the Nutella.

"Thanks," Niall grinned, and poured everything in reach on his pancakes except for the orange juice. Liam raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. Niall ate so fast that he was finished well before Liam. He glanced sheepishly at Liam's plate, then at his own.

"Don't worry, it's a compliment," Liam laughed when he saw Niall's expression.

"They were really nice."

"Do you want some more? I'll be making some anyway."

"Yes, please!" Niall blushed at how eager he sounded.

"Okay. Hey, d'you wanna help make them?" Liam asked.

"I'm no good at it... And I can't flip them for-"

"I'll teach you. C'mon, please?" Oh, now he was begging. That wasn't fair. Niall stupidly looked into his eyes and immediately caved in.

"Fine, but don't blame me if your kitchen goes on fire."

"Great!" Liam's eyes sparkled and Niall felt that giving in was one of the best decisions he'd ever made, although it could quite possibly actually be the worst. "Okay, so weigh out 60g of flour in the weighing scales. They're over there." Niall got the flour and brought it over to where the weighing scales was. He was about to open the pack of flour when he felt some material being dropped on his head. He turned to face Liam, confusion written on his features, as his hand went to his head to check what had been dropped on it.

"I almost forgot. You said you were really accident prone, so..." Liam trailed off, looking as if he was about to burst into fits of giggles but at the same time really caring.

It turned out the mysterious item was an apron, which Niall gratefully put on, not wanting to ruin Liam's clothes. Liam had one too. "Now all we need are the hats," Niall joked as he turned back to the flour. The bag opened with a poof and a cloud of flour filled the air. Yep, the aprons were definitely a good idea.

"How did that even happed? I barely touched the bag!" Niall started to wipe away the flour he was sure was on his face, only getting more on.

"I don't even know. I understand now why you wanted to get out of this."

"Yeah, well, you've got flour on yourself too!"

"Huh? Where?" Liam asked, face scrunched up in bemusement as he tried to wipe off the flour that didn't exist.

"Here!" Niall giggled as he flicked flour at Liam's face. Liam's features contorted in surprise and he spluttered. Niall started laughing his head off at how startled he was until he got flour up his nose. Niall himself began to cough and sneeze and he looked up at Liam. He had an evil smile on his face, obviously making up for his moment of weakness. Niall subtly eyed the bag of flour, and suddenly grabbed at it. Liam realised his intentions, and tried to stop him, but it was too late. Niall flung half the bag of flour at Liam. The kitchen was like a snowstorm. The two boys were acting like young children, play-fighting and laughing. Liam got his arms around Niall and snatched the bag of flour off him and dumped the bag on his head, only holding onto Niall tighter as he struggled and squealed

"L-let go, Leeyum!" Niall panted, small frame shaking from laughter. The pancakes were long forgotten at this stage.

"Never!" Liam started tickling Niall's sides, hitting the jackpot when he realised just how ticklish Niall was. Within seconds the boy was reduced to a squirming wreck.

"Ah, oh, haha, no, stop, ha, please, stop!" Niall gasped. He would have fallen already if it weren't for Liam holding him up with one arm. Eventually Liam took pity on him and set him down against the counter, still supporting him. They both caught their breath for a couple of minutes, then surveyed the mess that was the kitchen. It was barely recongnisable as the gleaming show-room that it used to be.

"Oh, God... This is gonna be fun to clean up." Niall bit his lip as he took in the damage they'd done.

"Hey, don't bite your lip, you'll hurt yourself. Tell you what, we'll make a start on it now, and we'll finish the rest when we get back." Oh, right. Education. Niall almost pouted, he'd forgotten and felt like he'd just spend the day here, but then he realised that Liam had invited him to come back. He looked up, and saw the question in Liam's eyes.

"Yeah, we'll finish when we get back." He was rewarded with a radiant smile that made his heart stutter. Seeing as the time felt right, he decided to bring up the elephant in the room. "I, um... I'm sorry about this morning." Liam laughed.

"Oh, is that what you were worried about? God, I thought it was something serious! What are you sorry for?" Niall blushed for having to explain.

"Well, I, uh, didn't lock the door, and, yeah." That'll do it. Maybe he didn't notice, anyway.

"I was the one who didn't knock. Anyway, back to the matter at hand. We really need to make a start on this, and seeing as you're the one who started this..." Niall playfully hit him on the arm.

"Hey! You're the one who made most of the mess!"

"Did not!"

They continued to bicker lightheartedly as they began to tackle the mess, glad for the presence of the other.

 

They ended up almost being late, as they decided to have pancakes anyway after Liam had miraculously produced another bag of flour. They'd both had to change clothes and neither had managed to rid themselves of every trace of flour.

The car ride had been fun, there hadn't been much arguing over stations as they had pretty similar taste in music. Niall had left some of his stuff at Liam's seeing as he was coming back later.

They'd really been pushing it for time when they finally arrived, and nearly sprinted to assembly, almost colliding with a sleepy Harry.

"Oh, hi, Niall, where were you this morning? Oh, hi Liam too." Harry's eyes focused, and he frowned slightly. "Is that flour in your hair?" Niall and Liam snuck a sideways glance at each other, and started laughing when their eyes met. Harry rolled his eyes. "I don't even want to know. Better get a move on, you're gonna be late."

They said goodbye to Harry and jogged to assembly- Liam evidently was holding back for Niall. Eventually, they had to part ways.

"Well, uh, seeya in music, Ni?" Liam asked, still angling towards Niall even though he was supposed to go.

"Yeah, seeya." Niall beamed at Liam's back as he jogged in the opposite direction. He started suddenly as the late bell went, before hurrying to assembly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry I haven't uploaded in ages! School has been kind of crazy. Also, I'm really lazy.


	4. Sorry, guys...

I'm really sorry to those of you who read this fic, but I'm going to discontinue it. It's a boring story, I don't feel any inclination to write it. I'm grateful to you guys for reading and commenting. I'm definitely gonna post more fics though. And get rid of this username. I mean, pandaheartski. C'mon. I'm gonna take this down soon, but I'll also make a Tumblr so you guys can come say hi or give prompts or whatever. I'll link that somewhere when it's made.

Thanks again guys, and I'll see you soon!


End file.
